


The Serpent and The Hawk

by Rhydnara



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Damsel in Distress, F/M, Oral Sex, Other, Transgender, Vaginal Fingering, knight in shining armor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-22
Updated: 2015-08-22
Packaged: 2018-04-16 14:05:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4628064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhydnara/pseuds/Rhydnara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Krem didn't realize the damsel in distress he jumped in to rescue would turn out to be quite so intuitive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Serpent and The Hawk

She was filthy. Her clothes were torn, her face was scratched. Her hair was a tangled mess of ebony curls, twigs, and mud. And she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Bethany Hawke sat shivering on the bed. He was lucky enough to find a relatively clean inn - the bed was large and covered in rich, velvet quilts. The mattress was stuffed with down rather than the usual straw. He had no idea how he was going to pay for the room, but after that evening’s events, he wasn’t going to bring her back to some flea infested hovel.

No, tonight he was the knight in shining armor. He’d just have to borrow the money. As usual.

Cremisius Aclassi, better known as Krem to his colleagues, shuffled through his belongings, trying to find something dry for Bethany to wear. He was a slender man - his clothing should fit her, but he didn’t want to give her his usual travelling clothes, considering he hadn’t had a chance to wash them lately and they stunk of sweat and leather.

She was shivering more violently now, and her lips were starting to turn blue. Krem abandoned his search and instead threw more logs on the fire in the hearth. But he had to get her out of those clothes soon. He wouldn’t allow himself to consider any reason other than that so she didn’t freeze to death.

It had been a close call either way. Krem didn’t know where she had come from, which Circle she had left, or if she was an apostate. Bethany was obviously a mage, based on the staff she carried - and the fireball she had launched at the rogue templars. They didn’t seem to know her so he assumed they weren’t trying to drag her back to whatever Circle she may have come from.

No, they were intent on killing her. And they had nearly succeeded. It was pure luck that his horse had thrown a shoe, forcing him to stop on the side of the road while the rest of the Chargers continued on to the Storm Coast. The sound of the rain and thunder nearly drowned out the young woman’s screams, but he couldn’t miss the magic being thrown about in self-defense. Normally it would have made his skin crawl, being near to all of that magic, but when he saw her running, breathless from fleeing from the hulking brutes, Krem had sprung into action without thinking. The Iron Bull had chided him often enough that he was too slow to react most of the time, but not this time. Krem had grabbed his sword and ran it through the first templar he saw. The blade crunched through the thick plate and the templar fell with a crash. Krem pulled the blade free and swung it at the next man. He fell into a battle rhythm, and before he knew it all of the templars lay dead.

After that, Krem brought her to the inn. And now he had to figure out how to warm her up without disrobing her. Thankfully, his underclothes had stayed relatively dry beneath his armor so he was quite comfortable. But Bethany was another matter.

It seemed that she was more than willing to rectify the problem herself. Before Krem could stop her, she had stripped naked, wiped the mud from her face and hair with her robe, and discarded it on the floor. He fought back an involuntary groan before she snuggled under the blankets and beckoned with her eyes.

“I could use some extra heat.”

Krem swallowed. The brief glimpse he had caught before she covered herself with the blanket was more than enough to confirm what his imagination had surmised. Long neck, pert, round breasts, and a flat stomach devoid of battle scars or sun damage. She had to be noble born; her skin was pale and smooth. Even with the tangle of her hair and the few bruises blooming across her shoulders from where she had been struck , she was pure perfection.

Krem tried to resist. He really did. If he joined her in the bed, he’d be unable to keep his hands off of her. But her teeth were starting to chatter, and he decided that her health was more important than propriety.

With a sigh, he settled next to her in the bed. Bethany scooted over and offered some of the blanket. As soon as he draped it around his own shoulders, she curled up into him. He listened to her breaths, enjoying the sweet scent of lavender that seemed to cling to her. Gradually her shivering stopped, and when she drifted off to sleep, Krem rearranged them so she was laying with her back to him and he could wrap a protective arm around her. And he was mistaken - as much as he wanted to run his hands across her body and taste her secrets, the exhaustion from the battle hit him and he fell asleep as well.

\---------------------------------------------

Krem awoke some time later to Bethany rubbing her very warm bottom against him. He resisted the urge to kiss where her neck met her shoulders, and kept as still as possible. 

It didn’t work.

Bethany rolled over and blinked dreamily at him, a slow smile spreading across her face. His stomach started doing somersaults. She leaned forward slightly and, wrapping a hand behind his neck, met his lips in a hungry kiss full of teeth and tongue. Krem groaned and lost control of his hand. He brought it lower to brush between her thighs. Bethany smiled against him and scooted closer. While his hand was acting independent of his mind, she thrust her breasts toward him. He simply had no choice but to lean down and take one hard nipple in his mouth. He flicked his tongue around her nipple, worshipping the velvety skin. It was Bethany’s turn to groan, urging him on.

Krem knew he needed to stop. Bethany needed to know, this wasn’t fair to her. But his hand had reached the juncture of her legs and he felt just how slick she was. Bethany lifted one knee, spreading herself wide for him. He ran one finger gently between her lips, and Bethany let out a soft “Ah.” There was no going back.  
He brushed a thumb across her clit. She arched her back, thrusting her breast hard against his mouth. He nipped lightly, then sat up, put both hands against her shoulders, and pushed her onto her back. He spread kisses from her breasts, down her stomach, and pressed a soft kiss above the dark curls. He settled between her legs and ran both hands up her thighs before gently parting her with his thumbs. He looked back up at her to see her watching him, trembling with anticipation. He looked back at his prize, and leaned forward to flick his tongue against her entrance.

Bethany shuddered and fisted her hands in his hair. He ran his tongue slowly up her slit, enjoying the salty sweet taste. He settled on her clit, sucking and nibbling, encouraged by the quiet sobs of ecstasy coming from her mouth. He slipped one finger inside her and curled it against her sensitive walls, then a second when she bucked against his face and hand. He stroked her from inside and out, and before long he felt her tightening against his fingers.

“Maker, Krem!” Bethany cried out as her climax washed over her. He withdrew his fingers and planted soft kisses against her inner thighs before sliding back up to run a hand through her curls and softly kissing her. He finally allowed himself to feel the deep ache in his own body, and felt just how damp he was himself. But that was a problem he wouldn’t let Bethany discover.

He knew he should leave. He should get out of bed, collect his things, and leave her while she was still incoherent. Before she could gather her scattered wits and find out. He should head downstairs, pawn off whatever valuables he could to settle his debt with the innkeeper, and go find the Chargers. The ache in his loins could wait until another day, until he had time to deal with it on his own. But her mouth tasted so good, and her warm body pressed against his felt so heavenly that he couldn’t.

When her heart beat slowed and her breaths quieted, Bethany slowly opened her eyes and grinned lazily at him. Maker, if it was possible, she was even more beautiful than before. She slipped her hand down, running her fingers across his chest, headed to return the favor Krem had just given her. His hand flashed out and grabbed her wrist in a vise-like grip. 

“No,” he almost growled. Confusion immediately clouded her eyes, and Krem wanted to cry out at the anguish he knew he was about to cause.

“But,” she started before he cut her off. She tried to break his grip, but he wouldn’t let go.

“There’s something you need to know.” He took a deep breath, trying to keep the trembling he felt in his stomach from reaching his voice. “I’m not-”

“I know.” She tentatively smiled at him, and grabbed his wrist with her other hand. She gently peeled his fingers from her wrist, and reached down to slip her fingers beneath his waistband.

Krem was too shocked to stop her. She couldn’t know his secret, could she? He hadn’t said a thing, hadn’t even taken off his shirt. So how could she know?

When her fingers brushed against his own mound, Krem closed his eyes and sighed. Regardless of the consequences, he realized he couldn’t resist. It had been too long. Bethany reached lower and slipped a finger against his sex. Krem shuddered, too lost in the sensation to wonder why she was doing it.

Bethany Hawke had to be a mage. She worked magic with her fingers, bringing him to his own climax quicker than any lover he had ever taken to bed. He let out a deep moan as the pleasure wracked through his body.

Normally, at this point he would retreat into himself, feeling ashamed at laying with some back alley whore just so he could relieve his own physical need. But when he opened his eyes, Bethany was still smiling. She brought her fingers to her mouth and sucked greedily, watching as he slowly came down from his high. She leaned forward to claim his mouth again, and when they pulled apart she stroked his arm, drawing little circles with her thumb.

“But, how?” Krem asked when he could talk again.

“How what?” Bethany asked in a sweet, innocent voice.

“How did you know?”

Bethany giggled a bit, then kissed him on the nose. “Well, for one, you don’t smell like nug ass.”

Krem tilted his head in confusion.

“Most of the guys I’ve known have smelled like ass after killing a handful of templars.”

Krem supposed that was entirely possible; he didn’t think he smelled especially like a woman, but considering the company he usually kept, he realized he didn’t know what a normal woman smelled like. Dalish certainly didn’t count. Maybe Bethany’s lavender was more like it?

“But you know how I really knew?” 

“How?”

“I didn’t wake up in the middle of the night with something hard poking into my back.”

Krem let out a bark of laughter. He had to give it to her, that was a pretty big piece of evidence. And considering how closely she had shoved herself against him before they fell asleep, he wasn’t surprised that she had noticed. “Well, I’m sorry…” he trailed off.

“Sorry for what?” She genuinely looked confused, as if the situation they found themselves in was completely normal.

He shrugged, at a loss for words. He should have been upfront and honest. If she hadn’t known, if she had tried to unclothe him only to find out what he was...Well, he knew what the outcome would be. Krem remembered the look on the healer’s face back in Tevinter, when it finally came to light what he was. And then the looks on the tribune and his men when he had fled to the tavern. Disgust, hatred, violence. They hadn’t had to say a word, and he knew what they wanted to do to him.

But Bethany’s face held only contentment, and a hint of concern for his wellbeing. 

“Krem,” she spoke softly. “The only men I’ve run into since the explosion in Kirkwall have either tried to kill me, or tried to drag me back to enslavement. You’re the first man to genuinely try to take care of me. I don’t care what’s in your pants, only what’s in your heart.”

As soon as the words left her lips, Bethany clamped a hand across her mouth and flushed a bright red. “Did that sound as nauseatingly sweet as I thought it did?” She spoke around her hand.

Krem couldn’t help the grin that broke out across his face. Her declaration had sent flutters through his stomach, and he felt an upwelling of joy surge through his chest. For the first time that he could remember, he felt _normal._ Yes, her words had been a little saccharine. But they were said with such earnest honesty that he couldn’t help but believe her.

After a few seconds of silence stretched between them, Bethany peeked between her fingers to see Krem smiling broadly. She returned the smile and kissed him again. She ran a hand up his shoulder and behind his neck, pulling him closer so their bodies lay flush together.

When they pulled apart, Krem tucked an errant curl behind her ear and settled on his back. Bethany curled up beside him, rested her head on his shoulder, and they drifted off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> A big thanks to the folks over at r/asktransgender for helping me out. I had to fix a lot of mistakes I made prior to writing this piece, and after several misunderstandings, I'm pretty proud of what I put together. I hope you enjoy reading this smut as much as I enjoyed writing it. And if you have any suggestions, please let me know! I'm still rather new at writing smut and I appreciate (constructive) criticism.
> 
> Oh, and a big thanks to bushviper for being my beta for this story!


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